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You May as Well Give Up on Your Blog

Many people have told me over the years that I have the gift of encouragement. But today I’m telling you that you may as well give up on your blog IF. . .

You Aren’t Committed to Posting Regularly

Posting content regularly means different things to different people. For instance, some bloggers post every single day or even multiple times per day and some post only a couple of times per month. Though I recommend posting at least once a week, you’ve got to figure out what “regularly” means to you and then stick with it as much as possible.

You’re in it Solely for Money

Money is good. I like money. I need money. And so do you. But money in and of itself is not the best blogging motivator, particularly since it can take a good long while to make money blogging. So while having financial goals connected to your blog is a good thing, the purpose for your blog has to go deeper than money.

You’re Focused Completely on Yourself

No one likes the guy who does nothing but stares into the mirror all day, impressed by how amazing he is.

Let’s face it; most if not all of us are self-focused at times. I know I am. But I also know that not that many people care about me without me caring about them first. This seems to be even truer online, so if your blog is completely self-serving, you may as well give up on it because it won’t be effective.

You’re Impatient

As the old adage goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your blog be built in a day or a week, or a month. You may be getting there in a year, and you should be able to see bits of progress along the way, but if you are the type to give up quickly when you don’t get instant results, then you may as well give up on your blog.

Now that I’ve given you a mental tongue lashing, I’ll revert back to my encouraging self and say that I really and truly hope that you won’t give up on your blog, because I know that blogging is one of the best ways to build your business.

Your Turn

What are some other reasons why people should give up on their blogs? Do you disagree with anything I’ve written above? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment below.

Good analogy, Ryan. I haven’t thought about it in terms of “paint drying,” but you are absolutely right. It’s not fun to watch paint dry, and at times waiting for something like traffic to grow can be equally not fun. We have to be in it for the long haul, for sure, and as you said, able to handle both types of emotion.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope you have an awesome day!

Rebecca, totally agree with your points. I think the last point is especially true for many people. They expect results within 2 months after starting to blog. It just doesn’t work that way… So take your “patience pills” and keep on blogging at least 1 per week (the more the better, right Rebecca?)

Sarah, I definitely agree with the need for “patience pills.” Seems we can’t have quite enough patience when it comes to hanging in there for the long haul with blogging! And yes, I agree that a minimum of 1 post per week is essential, and the more the better. A key is consistency, so finding the rhythm that works for you is important. I started with 1 blog post per week and upped it to 2, and saw a big difference. I haven’t yet gotten myself to the place of publishing 3 posts per week because I’m not sure I could do that consistently. But definitely, the more the better!

The thing is, business owners need to embrace blogging for BIG reasons, like the 97% of comparison shoppers out there who want to determine who to trust with their business and go online to do so.

Business owners are busy people, and need to see that blogging ‘results’ are measured differently for them. The larger client, the pricier sale, the better customer relationship because they can see the business genuinely cares for their best interest – these things make blogging the real advantage.

Results aren’t traffic unless the traffic converts, but since 55% of SEO is comprised of a content marketing strategy that includes blogging, it certainly doesn’t hurt to stay the course with your business blog:) It has to be considered a long-term commitment and overall strategy shift in order to be embraced as it should!

Susan, you are 100% correct in that blogging has to be considered a long-term commitment. I think one of the biggest mistakes bloggers make is giving up too soon. That’s why it’s so important to go into it with realistic expectations in terms of how long it will take and how much work it will be. At the same time, I truly believe that blogging and other types of content marketing are the best long-term strategy there is for building a platform and marketing a business, so in spite of how long they take and how much work they are, they are definitely worth it.

Thank you, Susan, for reading and taking the time to leave a thoughtful comment. I appreciate it, and look forward to seeing you around these parts again.

If I learned anything from blogging so far it’s definitely about posting regularly. It’s also about getting out there and visiting other blogs and making a connection.

I see some blogs I visit that post say maybe a couple of times a month but there’s no community spirit there. No comments, no interaction. Whilst not every blog needs to have comments to be successful, I think where there’s no community, at least the glimmer of one, then it’s time to give up!

I agree with all of the points you made Rebecca. If anyone comes into blogging and expects things to happen for them overnight they might be a little disappointed in reality.

Thanks so much for stopping by, reading, and leaving a thoughtful comment. All things are appreciated!

I totally agree with the consistency factor — and you make a good point with community. Of course, a lot of people want community to happen and yet struggle to get people to leave comments. I think, though, that you shared part of the secret to that in your second sentence — visiting other blogs and making a connection. We have to first give in order to receive, and I think we have to give without expecting to receive.

It takes a ton of time to gain momentum on a blog, so patience is definitely important.

Maris, I agree with you here — lack of motivation and dedication are huge. I’ve given up on a few blogs myself, because when it came down to it, I wasn’t dedicated to them, and thus my motivation was lacking. It’s hard to blog consistently if you’re not motivated to do so!

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, Maris. I hope to see you again soon.

I started my blog four years ago and over that time it’s clear to my readers that regularity is not my strong suit. The number of postings in a given month have been as low as zero and as high as twelve. Not pretty, I know.

If I cannot come up with a good topic or a position I feel passionate about, I don’t post. To me, posting “something/anything” regularly, even if it’s not my best work would do more harm than good. I probably expect more from my writing than my readers do, but I cannot shake the feeling that I’d be shortchanging myself by uploading an inferior post. All of this isn’t to say that I disagree with your advice to post regularly. I just haven’t been able to find the appropriate balance.

After each break that I’ve taken from blogging, I’ve begun a period of re-engaging — first with a few readers before the traffic picks up after a couple of posts — and I’m always glad that I didn’t shut my blog down during the inactive periods once I return to a semi-regular wring and posting schedule.

I think it’s great that you haven’t shut down your blog during periods of inactivity, because that has given you a chance to go back in and write more.

Have you ever thought about working ahead when you’re inspired to write a lot? For example, in the month where you write 12 posts, you could spread those out over 6 or even 12 weeks, which would keep the publishing consistent, even when your writing is inconsistent. Of course, this doesn’t work if you write posts that are very time sensitive, but is an approach you might want to consider with evergreen content. That might keep you from having to reengage, and keep traffic humming along at a more steady (or hopefully growing) rate, without really changing your writing habits. In other words, you don’t have to write consistently in order to post content consistently.

You are absolutely right about that, Shannon! Discipline is necessary for almost any aspect of life, for those who want to be successful. I’ve seen a lot of great bloggers who say they are not great writers, or at least were not great writers when they first started blogging. Their skills improved as a result of doing it over and over and over again. And as you said, even those who are gifted won’t make it without a lot of hard work and determination.